The Slate Rail

The cold open

Rain slicks the granite steps outside The Ivory Pocket, an invitation-only billiards salon tucked beneath a downtown bank tower. Inside private parlor three, the table's emerald cloth is ruined by a blooming crimson stain where Constantine Varley lies face-down over the slate rail. A single .38 caliber bullet shattered his sternum, the muffled shot lost beneath the low hum of the ceiling fans and the rhythmic clack of ivory balls in the front room.

The victim

Constantine Varley, 58, private billiards lounge owner

The lineup

• Brett Hollister
• Nadine Coyle
• Hugo Kilmartin